


Of Potions and Scales

by Tommykaine



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alchemy, Anthropomorphic, Fantasy setting, M/M, Original Slash, Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love, Sexual Fantasy, The mer guy is more of a Shape of Water kinda mer, copying and reposting this work elsewhere without my permission is strictly forbidden!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 07:29:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18383798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tommykaine/pseuds/Tommykaine
Summary: The tale of a merman alchemist and his assistant (who would like to assist him with a lot more than potions)





	Of Potions and Scales

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a challenge using the prompt "Alchemist"
> 
> If you'd like to have a look, I now have a website: [LINK](http://www.tommykaine.com/). I will post some exclusive stories on there so be sure to check it out from time to time!

 

"Isaya, could you please bring me my salts?".

Aladeer's voice came out of the bathroom.

Isaya gulped loudly.

"I... J-just a moment!".

He rushed to go and get the jar, feeling his heart thump loudly in his chest. He grasped his tunic, right above it, and forced himself to breathe deeply.

_Maybe he's just washing his hands. Maybe he's just washing his hands. Maybe he's just was-_

He walked in the bathroom, and the jar nearly shattered in his hand as he clenched his fingers around it.

Aladeer was _not_ just washing his hands. In fact, he was happily soaking in the large bathtub, and while only his large webbed feet and hands were sticking out of the water, as well as his head, it was not like the transparent surface covered all that much.

Isaya felt his face burn up and gulped again.

"Ah, there you are!", Aladeer called out for him in a cheerful tone, stretching out his hand. "The salts, please".

"Uh, yeah".

Isaya did his best to look only at the alchemist's webbed hand, the jar almost slipping from his sweaty palm before he could place it on it.

"Thank you". Aladeer opened the jar and poured some of its content into the water, mixing it up with his other hand. Isaya unconsciously turned his head towards the splashing sound before realizing his error, but by that time it was too late. He could not take his eyes off of the merman's glistening skin, his body covered in iridescent scales from head to toe.

He kept watching as Aladeer slipped his head underneath the water, his gills quivering in delight and his gold-speckled eyes half-covered by his lids.

The merman's leg was so close... he could have reached out and touched it, but he didn't dare to. He knew he shouldn't even be thinking of it. He was lucky enough to be near him like that, he had no right to desire anything more from him.

Still...

His eyes travelled down along his legs, down to his muscular thighs and his abdomen - just below that, he could see the place where his most sensitive part was hidden, and could not help but wonder how it would look like if it were to spread open and let its secrets out in front of him...

How would it feel to touch the merman until he did, brushing his fingers over the crevice and coaxing his cock out of it? How would it taste, if he were to run his tongue along the tip as it started to peek out to entice the rest of it out of its sheath? Would it taste like the sea from which the man came? Would it even resemble a human's, or would it be more like one of the mysterious creatures that inhabitated the oceans, of the kind that he only had seen in illustrations and heard about from the mariners' tales while growing up?

He hadn't even realized he'd been staring until Aladeer's head emerged again, the splashing sound making him jolt and turn around to dart outside, his face bright red and burning when he finally stopped against a door and covered it with his hands.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Had Aladeer noticed...? Oh Goddess, if he did then Isaya didn't know how he'd be able to face him again. The sheer thought was enough to make him want to bury himself in the backyard and never emerge again.

  
  


The next time that the alchemist called for him, Isaya felt himself tense up as soon as he heard his own name.

He'd avoided him for the rest of the day, busying himself by sweeping the floors and by taking care of the caged creatures in the basement. One of those rascals had left a nasty burn on his arm.

Still, he'd rather spend the entire day chasing salamanders than face the merman's scorn.

He made his way towards the kitchen, peeking from the door to see if he could take a glance at his expression before he could be seen.

The merman did not seem angry, in fact he seemed to be engrossed by something that Isaya could not see. He was staring at the palm of his hand, looking almost mesmerized, but before the young man could decide if he wanted to leave unnoticed or not Aladeer turned around and smiled.

"Ah! There you are. Come and look!".

His voice was as cheerful as ever, still Isaya hesitated before walking up to him, making sure not to stand too close. It appeared that the merman had been cutting up a puffin for dinner.

Aladeer stretched out his blood-stained hand to show him what he was holding in his palm. Even through the blood, Isaya could make out something shiny in its center. It took him a few moments to realize that it was a small iridescent seashell, its outer layer completely gone leaving only the nacre.

"It was in its stomach. Isn't it pretty?", Aladeer asked, washing his hands in a basin before gently grasping on Isaya's wrist, making him shudder from the sudden wet contact. The merman made him raise his hand before placing the seashell in it, making his heart beat fast.

What did the other mean by that gesture? Was he supposed to bring it to the lab? Was he- no, why would he give him such a thing? He was nothing but his servant, occasionally his assistant, and that had only been recently. There was no reason to give such a precious thing to someone like him.

Before he could question him, however, the merman noticed the burn on his arm and pulled him in closer to observe it, pupils widening as he recognized the damage.

"Does it hurt?", he asked, but before Isaya could reply the merman's tongue slipped out to lick at the injured skin, making his heart skip a beat. His tongue was long and dark blue in colour, and at first Isaya was frozen in place as he stared at his own arm in disbelief.

The young man was suddenly aware of just how close he was to the other now, so close that if he were to stand on tiptoes and the merman happened to raise his head slightly-

_No!_

He jumped back as if he'd been burned again, clutching his arm to his chest. His heart was beating furiously against it and his face must have shown his shock, because Aladeer seemed both puzzled and worried.

"Ah, I am sorry. I did not mean to startle- I forget your kind does not treat your injuries in the same way".

Isaya felt his skin tingle everywhere Aladeer had licked, and once he looked down he noticed with surprise that his burn was no longer swollen and even his blisters were rapidly disappearing, as if they were being absorbed by his flesh. In a matter of minutes it looked like little more than a very mild sunburn.

He looked up at Aladeer, not knowing how to even express his gratitude as he was too overwhelmed by that discovery. Plus there was the matter that now he couldn't help but imagine how it would feel to feel that long slick tongue across his whole body, making another part of him tingle in a very different and much more distressing way.

"T-thank you", he finally managed to whisper, before running away once again.

It wasn't until he was already in his room that he realized he was still clutching the seashell in his grasp.

He looked at it again. It really was pretty.

He wondered if Aladeer would be mad if he kept it. Would it really be so foolish to think of it as a gift?

He thought back to his smile... and to the way he'd seemed hurt when he pulled away, and felt his heart clench.

 _I really am an idiot_.

  
  


 

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure whether I'd continue this one or not, but I might if anyone likes it and the inspiration strikes? I do have more in mind for this setting/these characters but not sure if it'd be enough for a full-fledged story
> 
> \----
> 
> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> I normally reply to all comments so if you do not wish for your comment to be replied to for any reason, please add "hush" somewhere in it and I will quietly appreciate it instead.


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